1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fast discharge fire extinguisher.
A fire extinguisher usually comprises a container containing an inhibiting body, for example in liquid form, such as freon or halon which is vaporized when it is expanded, as well as a gas, usually nitrogen, under a pressure of several tens of bars. This container is closed by a cover which is torn when the charge of a detonator explodes. This explosion is often set off automatically when a fire outbreak has been detected, for example by means of an infrared and/or ultraviolet detector.
The vaporized freon or halon opposes the fire by its high inhibiting power, reducing to a substantially zero value the chemical reaction of combustion.
In some cases, particularly when the product to be protected is likely to be consumed rapidly or is of the explosive type, it is desirable for the fire extinguisher to act as rapidly as possible after detection, that is to say that the detonator must explode as rapidly as possible and empty the container in the shortest possible time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In French patent No. 8409034 in the name of ABG-SEMCA, a fire extinguisher of this type has been described in which the detonator, which acts by shock wave, is disposed inside the container, at the first end of a pyrotechnical stick which extends along the axis of the container and whose second end is secured to the bottom. Furthermore, in this fire extinguisher in the neighborhood of the outlet opening, the container has a shape such that the particular pressure losses are minimized. So as not to disturb the discharge, no obstacle is provided in the neighborhood of this outlet opening which might oppose the out-flow of the liquid.
The invention provides a fire extinguisher with high speed discharge having the same qualities of speed of discharge as those of the French patent but whose cost is substantially lower.